Absolutely Bobbed Brown

Readies!

About Bob Brown;

Via Al Filreis.

Philly Pedestrian Chorus

From this week's CityPaper (one of the Philadelphia alt-weeklies):

I love walking — especially outside my front door. Those first steps from my entrance onto my immediate pavement swell my heart with the puffed-up Tennessee Tuxedo pride of ownership. That is until I have to dodge bicyclists who not only ride unusually fast, but with zero regard to anyone or anything on the pavement — me, my wife walking our dog, other people walking dogs, children, laundry bags, parapets. I live on a block with elderly people who can't sidestep pavement-biking pricks with the matador's grace I can.

These bikers are speed-racing zombies who neither stop nor slow, staring blankly ahead — risking their lives and mine. I say "their lives" because I do fear I will one day be forced to kick one from the seat of their bike.

Why are bikers allowed to barrel down sidewalks that rightly belong to pedestrians?

I actually know the author (A.D. Amorosi) slightly, but don't think he was among the teeming millions who read my earlier rant on bikes. If he did, he learned the proper lessons: make it clear that you don't drive, and give cyclists their proper space on the moral hierarchy above motorists. Question the latter, and you earn the undying enmity of the spandex set.

Something For the Kids

Yes. That is James Brown doing The Robot. (Probably high as hell.)

Hiatus/Hernia

Short Schrift and family are temporarily moving house across town, so we're going to need a little blog break. See you again next month.

His Slate Runneth Over

Rick Hertzberg uses the now legendary Matthews-James video to riff on his history with and admiration for Chris Matthews. I'm kind of fond of the guy too, warts and all, so I enjoyed it:

When we met, Chris was doing press relations for a backwater office in the Carter White House called the President’s Reorganization Project, a moribund effort to abolish hundreds of federal agencies and put them all under half a dozen super-duper superdepartments, or something like that. Only the Reorganization Project didn’t have any press relations, because the press had long since lost interest in it, as had Carter, apparently. Chris was restless. He’d come into my office—I was a speechwriter—and talk about the events of the day. He was so full of ideas and energy that I begged and wheedled the White House higher-ups to let me make him a speechwriter, too, even though I had no idea whether he could write or not. I figured it didn’t matter. We could always take notes on his stream of consciousness and massage the result.

They Love Him In Germany

Der Spiegel on Obamamania in Deutschland:

Frank-Walter Steinmeier had hoped to meet personally, but Barack Obama has a lot on his plate at the moment and Germany's foreign minister had to make do with a telephone conversation with the presidential candidate during his recent visit to Washington. Still, that's all it took to stir Steinmeier's enthusiasm for the candidate...

The few minutes spent on the telephone gave Steinmeier the impression that Obama is prepared to fundamentally reconsider the course of US foreign policy. Steinmeier was impressed, and only a day later he publicly outed himself as the senator's latest fan. "Yes we can," the minister, not known for his emotional outbursts, chanted, evoking Obama's campaign slogan during a speech at Harvard University. Steinmeier used the term to express his desire for a renewal of trans-Atlantic relations.

Obama's secret recipe? He's well-informed and projects a concern for and interest in what other people think. So, radical change.

Your Favorite Philosopher

It matters to Daniel Larison. I love this part of his liveblog of the Libertarian Presidential debate:

8:06 Barr named Ayn Rand as his favourite philosopher in response to the first question (which wasn’t supposed to be asked until later). I’m not sure if this is deeply worrying evidence of insanity or evidence of absolutely shameless pandering to the Libertarian crowd.

8:21 Mike Gravel must be going for the Eunomia vote, because he named Solon as his favourite philosopher. Solon! His answer was quite brilliant, actually, and if I had never seen him before I would argue that he ought to be the nominee. Phillies oddly named Cicero, the antithesis of heroic resistance to tyranny, Jingozian named Ben Franklin and Ruwart copied Barr by naming Ayn Rand.

My Favorite Word

There are a lot of contenders, but right now, for its luminous versatility, it has to be this one:

strike |strīk|
verb ( past struck |strək|)
1 [ trans. ] hit forcibly and deliberately with one's hand or a weapon or other implement : he raised his hand, as if to strike me | one man was struck on the head with a stick | [ intrans. ] Edgar struck out at her.
• inflict (a blow) : [with two objs. ] he struck her two blows on the leg.
• accidentally hit (a part of one's body) against something : she fell, striking her head against the side of the boat.
• come into forcible contact or collision with : he was struck by a car on Whitepark Road.
• (of a beam or ray of light or heat) fall on (an object or surface) : the light struck her ring, reflecting off the diamond.
• (in sporting contexts) hit or kick (a ball) so as to score a run, point, or goal : he struck the ball into the back of the net.
• [ intrans. ] (of a clock) indicate the time by sounding a chime or stroke : [with complement ] the church clock struck twelve.
• ignite (a match) by rubbing it briskly against an abrasive surface.
• produce (fire or a spark) as a result of friction : his iron stick struck sparks from the pavement.
• bring (an electric arc) into being.
• produce (a musical note) by pressing or hitting a key.
2 [ trans. ] (of a disaster, disease, or other unwelcome phenomenon) occur suddenly and have harmful or damaging effects on : an earthquake struck the island | [ intrans. ] tragedy struck when he was killed in a car crash | [as adj. in combination ] ( struck) storm-struck areas.
• [ intrans. ] carry out an aggressive or violent action, typically without warning : it was eight months before the murderer struck again.
• (usu. be struck down) kill or seriously incapacitate (someone) : he was struck down by a mystery virus.
• ( strike something into) cause or create a particular strong emotion in (someone) : drugs—a subject guaranteed to strike fear into parents' hearts.
• [ trans. ] cause (someone) to be in a specified state : he was struck dumb.
3 [ trans. ] (of a thought or idea) come into the mind of (someone) suddenly or unexpectedly : a disturbing thought struck Melissa.
• cause (someone) to have a particular impression : [with clause ] it struck him that Marjorie was unusually silent | the idea struck her as odd.
• ( be struck by/with) find particularly interesting, noticeable, or impressive : Lucy was struck by the ethereal beauty of the scene.
4 [ intrans. ] (of employees) refuse to work as a form of organized protest, typically in an attempt to obtain a particular concession or concessions from their employer : workers may strike over threatened job losses.
• [ trans. ] undertake such action against (an employer).
5 [ trans. ] cancel, remove, or cross out with or as if with a pen : strike his name from the list | striking words through with a pen.
• ( strike someone off) officially remove someone from membership of a professional group : he had been struck off as a disgrace to the profession.
• ( strike something down) abolish a law or regulation : the law was struck down by the Supreme Court.
6 [ trans. ] make (a coin or medal) by stamping metal.
• (in cinematography) make (another print) of a film.
• reach, achieve, or agree to (something involving agreement, balance, or compromise) : the team has struck a deal with a sports marketing agency | you have to strike a happy medium.
• (in financial contexts) reach (a figure) by balancing an account : last year's loss was struck after allowing for depreciation of 67 million dollars.
• Canadian form (a committee) : the government struck a committee to settle the issue.
7 [ trans. ] discover (gold, minerals, or oil) by drilling or mining.
• [ intrans. ] ( strike on/upon) discover or think of, esp. unexpectedly or by chance : pondering, she struck upon a brilliant idea.
• come to or reach : several days out of the village, we struck the Gilgit Road.
8 [ intrans. ] move or proceed vigorously or purposefully : she struck out into the lake with a practiced crawl | he struck off down the track.
• ( strike out) start out on a new or independent course or endeavor : after two years he was able to strike out on his own.
9 [ trans. ] take down (a tent or the tents of an encampment) : it took ages to strike camp.
• dismantle (theatrical scenery) : the minute we finish this evening, they'll start striking the set.
• lower or take down (a flag or sail), esp. as a salute or to signify surrender : the ship struck her German colors.
10 [ trans. ] insert (a cutting of a plant) in soil to take root.
• [ intrans. ] (of a plant or cutting) develop roots : small conifers will strike from cuttings.
• [ intrans. ] (of a young oyster) attach itself to a bed.
11 [ intrans. ] Fishing secure a hook in the mouth of a fish by jerking or tightening the line after it has taken the bait or fly.
noun
1 a refusal to work organized by a body of employees as a form of protest, typically in an attempt to gain a concession or concessions from their employer : dockers voted for an all-out strike | local government workers went on strike | [as adj. ] strike action.
• [with adj. ] a refusal to do something expected or required, typically by a body of people, with a similar aim : a rent strike.
2 a sudden attack, typically a military one : the threat of nuclear strikes.
• (in bowling) an act of knocking down all the pins with one's first ball.
• Fishing an act or instance of jerking or tightening the line to secure a fish that has already taken the bait or fly.
3 a discovery of gold, minerals, or oil by drilling or mining : the Lena goldfields strike of 1912.
4 Baseball a pitch that is counted against the batter, in particular one that the batter swings at and misses, or that passes through the strike zone without the batter swinging, or that the batter hits foul (unless two strikes have already been called). A batter accumulating three strikes is out.
• a pitch that passes through the strike zone and is not hit.
• something to one's discredit : when they returned from Vietnam they had two strikes against them.
5 the horizontal or compass direction of a stratum, fault, or other geological feature.
6 short for fly strike .

PHRASES

strike a balance
strike a blow for (or at/against)
strike a chord
strike at the root (or roots) of
strike hands
strike home
strike it rich
strike me pink
strike a pose
strike while the iron is hot

PHRASAL VERBS

strike back
strike in
strike someone out (or strike out)
• ( strike out) informal fail or be unsuccessful
strike up (or strike something up) (of a band or orchestra)
• ( strike something up) begin a friendship or conversation with someone, typically in a casual way.

ORIGIN

Old English strīcan [go, flow] and [rub lightly] ; related to German streichen ‘to stroke,’ also to stroke . The sense [deliver a blow] dates from Middle English .

Party Like It's Nine Years Ago

All Music Guide's critics share lists of their favorite albums from 1999. They're some of my favorites, too -- although I suspect that the list I would have made in 1999 would be a lot different, and definitely more embarasssing.

1. Magnetic Fields - 69 Love Songs
2. The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin
3. Smog - Knock Knock
4. Dismemberment Plan - Emergency and I
5. Wilco - Summerteeth
6. Bonnie "Prince" Billy - I See A Darkness
7. Jim O'Rourke - Eureka
8. Sigur Ros - Agaetis Byrjun
9. Pavement - Terror Twilight
10. The White Stripes - The White Stripes

Given how white 1-10 are, it's ironic that my #11 is Mos Def's Black on Both Sides.

He Don't Cause Trouble, He Don't Bother Nobody

Via Pitchfork: NY Governor David Patterson has pardoned Slick Rick (aka Ricky Walters):

“Mr. Walters has fully served the sentence imposed upon him for his convictions, had an exemplary disciplinary record while in prison and on parole, and has been living without incident in the community for more than 10 years,” said Governor Paterson. “In that time, he has volunteered at youth outreach programs to counsel youth against violence, and has become a symbol of rehabilitation for many young people. Given these demonstrated rehabilitative efforts, I urge federal immigration officials to once again grant Mr. Walters relief from deportation, so that he is not separated from his many family members who are United States citizens, including his two teenage children.”